


Fire and Flood

by psyraah



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 22:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14555313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyraah/pseuds/psyraah
Summary: Keith learns what it is to lose.Shiro, unprotected.Security moving towards him, too slow to stop the man in front of him raising his hand, the blade materialising in a blue glow and—A single, quick stab.Shiro collapsed.Keith’s heart stopped.“Shiro!”





	Fire and Flood

**Author's Note:**

> For the Between Two Points zine. A short stab and fluff for your stabby fluff needs.

The situation was all too familiar. A chair that remained uncomfortable no matter how Keith shifted and adjusted it. Fatigue sparking bright panic and dragging dull, leaden weight through his veins in turns.

And…Shiro.

Shiro lying in the bed, eyes closed while Keith watched. Waited. Prayed.

Shiro, still and unmoving, the shallow rise and fall of his chest the only thing that kept Keith clinging onto hope.

Shiro, the light in Keith’s everything, who he hadn’t been able to protect.

* * *

 

_The panicked shouts of security echoed through the auditorium and buzzed through Keith’s radio as he stumbled to his feet, ears ringing from a blow to the head. Someone had pushed him to the ground, someone with a glowing blue blade that seemed to have come from nowhere. Keith remembered stinging pain in his neck, and he swiped at the area with an unsteady hand, hissing in pain when his fingers came away wet with blood. But…_

_But that wasn’t important. It wasn’t, because—_

_Shiro._

_Keith whirled. Shiro, on stage, and Keith stumbled in his direction, heart pounding._

_“Shiro!”_

_Shiro giving a presentation, an attacker darting through the wings—_

_Shiro, unprotected. Security moving towards him, too slow to stop the man in front of him raising his hand, the blade materialising in a blue glow and—_

_A single, quick stab._

_Shiro collapsed._

_Keith’s heart stopped._

_“Shiro!”_

_Other guards tackled the man to the ground, but too late. It didn’t matter, not now. Not when Shiro was lying on the stage, unmoving, blood spreading across the white of his shirt. Keith’s legs carried him over of their own accord (because he could never be away from Shiro, not when he needed him). He sank to his knees, placing a hand on his shoulder to turn Shiro over._

_Please._

_Please, please—_

_Shiro groaned, and Keith’s heart righted for a split second, before it continued pounding a terrified drumbeat at Shiro’s pained expression._

_“Someone call an ambulance!” Keith screamed, rolling Shiro onto his side with trembling hands. “Shiro, hold on. Hang on for me.”_

_Shiro gasped for breath. “Keith.” He smiled shakily, reaching for Keith’s hand. “Keith.”_

_Keith took Shiro’s hand in his own, heart in his throat. “Hey. You got hurt pretty bad.”_

_“Not your fault,” Shiro said immediately._

_Keith almost sobbed at how well Shiro knew him. “Not the point.”_

_“Keith…” Shiro tried to push himself up, but collapsed with a cry that tore Keith’s heart._

_“Shh, don’t move. Help’s coming.” Keith yanked off his jacket, pressing it to Shiro’s side. Shame coursed through him when Shiro gasped in pain, but he kept pressure against the wound. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, brushing Shiro’s hair with shaking fingers. “I’m sorry. You’re gonna be fine.”_

_Shiro frowned, breathing heavily, before raising an unsteady hand._

_“Shiro, for god’s sake, stop_ moving _.”_

_Shiro ignored him, instead tracing the curve of Keith’s jaw, and trailing down the side of his neck. “You’re hurt,” he croaked, frowning. “What…?”_

_“I’m fine.” Keith forced his voice to be steady. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me.”_

_“You know…I…always worry.” Every word sounded like an effort, and Shiro’s breathless groan broke Keith’s soul even further. “Keith, I love—”_

_“Stop,” Keith said through gritted teeth. “I know, okay? You don’t have to tell me. You’re gonna be fine, so save your strength.”_

_Shiro’s lips—terrifyingly pale, and getting paler by the second—twitched in what was meant to be a smile. “Love you.”_

_Keith should have known Shiro was stupidly stubborn. “I know,” he whispered. “But you gotta stay awake for me, Kashi. Can you do that?”_

_Shiro nodded, but his head rolled forward, his gaze dropping from Keith’s._

_“Shiro.” Keith resisted the urge to shake Shiro violently. “Buddy, look at me.”_

_“Keith…”_

_“Right here. You’ve—you’ve got to stay awake.” He was losing him. He was losing him, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t lose him. Not like this with Keith sitting by, useless, useless. “Shiro, please. Please don’t, I—”_

_Shiro’s eyes fell shut._

_Keith’s world fell apart._

* * *

 

It was twenty-six excruciating hours later before it came back together, with the sound of Shiro’s pained groan and the rustling of bed sheets.

Keith slammed the on-call button immediately, darting to Shiro’s side. “Shiro? Shiro can you hear me?”

Slowly, too slowly, Shiro opened his eyes. “Keith?” He blinked, confused as he took in his surroundings. “Tired.”

At the sound of Shiro’s voice, relief hit Keith like an earthquake. “I know.” He swallowed, stroking Shiro’s cheek gently with numb fingers. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“Keith, are you—”

“Mr Shirogane.” Keith recognised the doctor who came in, and he stood aside, watching anxiously as she checked Shiro over. Shiro would be fine. He knew who Keith was, he made it through surgery.

Shiro would be _fine_.

But it was only when the doctor left, reassuring them that Shiro would recover fully, that Keith finally felt the chains that had bound up all the fear and worry in his heart begin to loosen. Shiro’s tired smile unlocked them a little more.

Keith perched on the edge of the bed, taking Shiro’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Just tired,” Shiro said hoarsely, letting Keith help him drink carefully from a flimsy plastic cup. “Little achy. Otherwise I’m all right.” He squeezed Keith’s hand as Keith set the cup aside. “Now, how are you?”

Keith swallowed, keeping his eyes on Shiro’s. Keeping his eyes on a light that had almost gone out. “Was really scared.” The tremors from his heart started spreading at the admission, his hands shaking and his breath shuddering. “Really scared.”

Shiro’s smile slipped from his face, and he tugged on Keith’s hand. “Hey now, c’mere, spitfire.”

Nothing in the world could’ve stopped him, and Keith tucked himself against Shiro, carefully pressing his face to Shiro’s chest. Shaking, he breathed in a scent he’d almost lost, listened to a heartbeat that had almost been taken from him.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro whispered, voice warm and beautifully close.

“Don’t be.” It was hard to talk, but Keith needed to say this much. “My fault. I’m your _bodyguard_ , I’m meant to—”

“Keith, no.” Despite his fatigue, Shiro’s voice was strong, just like his arm around Keith’s shoulders and his hold on Keith’s heart. “Your team removed the intruder before he finished me off. You protected me. You always do, love.”

Keith shuddered. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered. “I just can’t, and if it was my fault—”

“You didn’t, and it never will be.” Shiro pressed his lips to Keith’s temple, his love easing the hurt in Keith’s heart. “You won’t lose me. Okay?”

Keith looked up, heart still trembling, but starting to ease with Shiro’s warmth next to him. When he looked to Shiro’s eyes, they were kind, fond, and loving—as they always were. Bringing him home, as Shiro always did.

“Okay,” Keith agreed, the words whispered as a promise to the two of them. He pressed his forehead gently to Shiro’s, heart healing with the knowledge that he would always be able to do so.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed, please share on [Tumblr](http://shiroganedefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/173630511279/fire-and-flood-pairing-shirokeith-words-1200) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/starchydreams/status/993024551452794880). Would be much appreciated!


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